Liquid-fuel vaporizer for internal-combustion engines



Feb. 12 1.924.- IAE-:819

R. F. LONABERGER ET AL LIQUID FUEL VAPORIZER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed April` 15 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 12 1924.

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R` F. LONABERGER ET AL LIQUID FUEL VAPORI'ZER FOR INTERNALA GOMBUSTION ENGNES Filed April 15 ,Y

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UNED STATES.

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ROBERT F. LQNABERGER GHABLES I'. SANDS, QF'READING, PENNSYLVANIA, AS-

' SIGNORS TU LLOYD `A.. "UNGER, TRUSTEE.

LIQUID-FUEL VAPORIZEB FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application am apra is, 1922.' lsemi no. 552,414.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, Ronn'r F. LoNA- BERGER and CHARLES F. SANDS, citizens of the United States, residing at Reading,

county .of Berks, State of Pennsylvania,

'ation an undesirable knocking and loss of power occurs in thec linders, thought to be due to imperfect car uretion. tion aims to adapt an ordinary four stroke cycle internal combustion engine, constructcd to operate on gasoline or other readily vaporized fuel,l for operating on a heavy fuel such as kerosene, distillate or fuel oil. The invention further aims to improve the operation of internal combustion engines and increase their thermal eiiiciency.

Further aims and advantages of the invention appear in, connection with the following description of a preferred form of the invention illustrated in the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 isl a side elevation of an internal combustion en ine showing the invention applied thereto 1n a preferred form;

Figure 2is an end elevation of the same, partly in section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is an' enlarged'transverse ,sectional view of the electric heating element and vaporizer, showing the adjacent portion of the engine in Ielevation, the section being taken on the' line 3 3 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

-Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same taken on the line 4 4 in Fig. 3, showing the means for operating-theI fuel admission valve; and

Fig "fe 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the carni-.and control device'for the-fuel valve operating means, taken on the line 5-5 in Fig-4, lookingnp.

' The engine shown in the drawings (See Figs. 1 and 2) is of the conventional four cylinder type having an explosion in one of t e four` cylinders upon each stroke. As

This invenshown in the drawings, the cylinders are l. type formed in a cylinder block 11 and provided With inlet and exhaust valves l2 of usual construction actuated by cams and tappet rods or other suitable means operated from a halftime shaft 13 that is driven from the crank shaft 14 by gearing having a 1 to 2 ratio of teeth. The cylinder block 11 is also provided with inlet passages 15 having a connection 16 for a carbureter and exhaust passages leading to the exhaust manifold 17. The pistons 18 and connecting rods 19 may .be of any suitable type, connected vto. the crank shaft to rotate it 1n the usual manner.

Any satisfactory system of ignition may be utilized such as a jump spark, for which spark plugs 20 are ,mounted in the separable head 2l, one projecting into the head space of each cylinder, and are connected by wires to a' suitable magneto or sparking device (not shown). detail 3construction of the engine and its operating parts heretofore mentioned are shown anddescribed only by way of illustration and the invention is not restricted' thereto. v

The cylinders, head and valves are waterjacketed, circulation of water being maintained by a pump or other suitable means, not shown, through the water jackets 22 and manifold 23 to a radiator or other cooling device, the water rst passing around the fuel vaporizer 24 and entering the cylinder block by means of the branch pipes 25. (See Figs. I, 2 and 3). This arrangement assists in maintaining the vaporizer and fuel passages to the cylinders at a uniform tempera- `ture conducive to smooth and eicient operation.

The vaporizer 24 is secured to the carbureter connection 16 in lace of a carbureter of an usual type. T e vaporizer has an electrlc heating element 26 (see Fig. 3) for vaporizing liquid fuel, and a 'mixing tube 27, where the va orized fuel is mixed with air and conducta to the connection 16 leading to the inlet valves. A manually controlled Valve 28 regulates the flow of air linto the mixing tube.

Liquid fuel is supplied to the vaporizer through the pipe 29, at a constant pressure maintained by a suitable pump 30 and relief valve 31, and a mechanically actuated Ivalve 32 (see Fig. 4) periodically opens to The type, arrangement andpermit a fresh charge of fuel to reach the va orizer. The` amount of opening of this va ve 32 can be regulated manually by the control lever 33 to control the power output of the engine.

The valve 32 is normally held closed by a spring 34 contained in the valve housing and bearing against a cup shaped fiange 35 on the stem pf the valve. The valve is opened to admit a charge of fuel to the vaporizer upon each stroke by means of a lever 36, having a yoke on one arm bearing against the flange 35 and a bearing on the other arm for engagement by a tappet rod 37 slidably mounted in the cam housing 38. The valve, operating cams 39 are fourl in number, carried by a cam plate 40 slidably mounted on the cam shaft 41 to move toward and away from the tappet rod 37 to increase or decrease the movement of the latter and thereby control the amount of opening of the fuel valve 32. The camshaft 41 is rotated at the same speed as the half time'sliaft 13 by suitable gears 42, 43, as shown in Fig. 2. The driving gear 43 is adjustably securedl to the cam shaft 41 by means of a crown gear 44 having fine teeth engaging similar teeth onthe gear 43 so that slight changes inthe angular position of the shaft with respect to the driving gear may be made to suit different engines to which the device may be applied. i

The cani plate 40 is secured to a sleeve 45 splined on the cam shaft 41 and is normally held in its position farthest from the operating rod 37 by means of a spring 46 enclosed bythe sleeve and bearing'against a iange 47 on the shaft, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

The housing has 'a groove for engagement by ayoke 48 on the control lever 33 Wliereby it may be held in position to cause the cams to open the. fuel valve 32 the desired amount. Any suitable o erating means (not shown) for the control ever 33 and valve 28 may be used.

The fuel valve 32 may be provided. with an adjustable stem 49 through which ,the valve extends and with which it has a threaded engagement at its outer end, where it may be locked in adjusted position by a nut 50 or other suitable means. The valve stem is provided with rings 51 to prevent secured in the vaporizer housing` liquid fuel is injected when the fuel valve 32 opens. The heating element 60 is contained in a thimble 6l molded in the insulating material and extending through the passa e 58. j

. eference is made to our pending application filed August 15, 1921, Serial No. 492,398, for a further description of the electric heating and vaporizing unit and 'its operation.

The Waterjacketed fuel vaporizer, fuel pump, mixing tube, air control valve, and fuel control valve and its operating means, all are contained in a unitary'assemblage,

Ahoused in suitable casings to protect them cylinder in advance of the admission thereto of the explosive mixture formed in the mixing tube when fuel is admitted to the vaporizer.l The delay. in the opening of the fuel control valve is slightl greater for the minimum valve opening tlian for the maximum valve opening, thereby diminishing the liability of the lean mixture formed when the engine is running on a closed throttle to back fire. e

The operation 'of the engine is similar to that of ordinary four stroke cycle'internal combustion engines provided with the usual types of carbureters or liquid fuel vaporizers except that the time of injection of the fuel into the air entering the cylinders on the suction stroke is later than in ordinary engines and is varied slightly with the amount of opening of the fuel valve 32. The electric vaporizer furnishes a suitable vaporized fuel to start the engine cold'. Hence a heavy fuel is utilized without requiring any primer or-other starting attachment.

'A very smooth running engine results from this method of operation because the fuel is completely vaporized before it enters the cylinders, the amountof fuel and the time of admitting fuel vapor to the cylinders may be controlled with precision and according to the amount of fuel required un der varying conditions, and a partial charge of air is admitted to the cylinders prior to fuel vapor on the suction stroke, thereby reducing'carbon deposit and preventing preigniti'on. v i

The invention is not restricted to the details of construction illustrated in the drawings, as manifestly it may be adapted to various types of engines.

We claim the following as our invention: 1. An attachment for internal combustion incanto engines comprising a waterjacketed fuel vaporizer and mixing tube having an air control valve, a fuel pump and fuel control valve, and operating means for intermittently actuating said fuel control valve in synchronism with the inlet and exhaust valves of said engine.

2. An attachment for internal combustion engines comprising a 'Waterjacketed fuel vaporizer and mixing tube having an air control valve, a fuel pump and fuel control valve, means for varying lthe amount of opening of said fuel control valve,'and operating means for intermittently actuating said fuel control valve in synchronism with the inlet and exhaust valves of said engine.

3. An attachment for internal combustion engines comprising a Waterjacleted fuel vaporizer and mixing tube having an air control valve, a fuel pump and fuel control valve, operating means for intermittently actuating said fuel control valve in synchronism with the inlet and exhaust valves of said engine, and means for delaying the time of opening said fuel control valve when less than a full charge of fuel is admitted to said vaporizer.

4. An attachment for internal combustion engines comprising a Waterjacketed fuel vaporizer and mixing tube having an air control valve, a fuel pump and fuel. control valve, and operating means for intermittently actuating Said fuel control valve in synchronism With the inlet and exhaust valves of said engine, said operating means consisting of a tappet and a rotating cam plate having axial movement to engage said tappet to move it a greater or less amount as desired,

5. An attachment for internal combustion engines comprising a Waterjacketed fuel vaporizer and mixing tube having an air control valve, a fuel pump and fuel control valve, operating means for intermittently actuating said fuel control valve in synchronism with the inlet and exhaust valves of said engine, and means for delaying the time of opening said fuel control valve When less than a full charge of fuel is admitted to said vaporizer, said means consisting of a tappet rod and rotating cam plate having cams adapted to engage said tappet with a greater or less portion of their contour depending upon the amount of opening of said valve desired.

6: An attachment for internal combustion engines of the type in which a combustible mixture is drawn into the cylinder on the suction stroke, said attachment comprising a housing adapted to be attached to the fuel inlet passage of said engine, a fuel vaporizer and mixing tube carried by said housing, an airinlet into said mixing tube and control valve therefor, and a fuel inlet to said vaporizer, said fuel inlet having a valve normall closed, and said housing having a cam sha and means for opening said valve periodically, and connections to said engine for rotating said shaft.

7. ln an internal combustion engine having cylinders provided with inlet and exhaust'valves and means for operating them, electric means for vaporizing fuel outside said cylinders, means actuated by said engine for admitting fuel to said vaporizing 'means periodically in synchronism with the operation of said valves, and meansfor .varying the time of admitting fuel to said vaporizer. according to the amount of fuel admitted, whereby knocking in the cylinders is prevented.

8. Aheavy fuel vaporizer for internal combustion engines comprising a housing containing a heating element, a fuel pipe leading to said heating element and a Valve normally closing said pipe, a shaft mounted in said housing, means for rotating said shaft from the engine, a bushing slidable on said shaft, a cam on said bushing and means engaged thereby for operating said valve and means for positioning said bushing and cam lengthwise on said shaft for controlling the amount of opening of said valve.

9. A heavy fuel vaporizer for internal combustion engines 'comprising a housing containing a heating element, a fuel pipe leading to said heating element and a valve normally closing said pipe, a shaft mounted in said housing, means for rotating said shaft from the engine, a bushing slidable ou said shaft, a cam on said bushing and means engaged thereby for operating said valve and means for positioning said bushing and cani lengthwise on said shaft for cont-rolling the time and amount of opening of said valve.

l0. A heavy fuel vaporizer for internal combustion engines comprising a housing containing a heating element, a Waterjacket surrounding said heating element and water inlet and outlet pipes therefor, said outlet pipe having a discharge orifice adapted to be secured to the waterjacket of the engine, a fuel pipe leading to said heating elemen; and a valve normally closing said pipe, a shaft mounted in said housing, means for rotating said shaft from the engine, a cam on said shaft and means engaged thereby for operating said valve, and means for positioning said cam on said shaft for controlling the amount of opening of said valve.

1l. A heavy fuel carburetor for internal combustion engines comprising a fuel vaporizer in communication with the inlet 'passages thereof, electric heating means for said vaporizer, means operated by vsaid engine for intermittently admitting fuel to said vaporizer, and manually controlled means for varying the time of admission of fuel to said vaporizer to suit the conditions of operation of said en ne. A

12. A heavy fuel car ureter for internal carbureter in advance of the admission offuel to said vaporizer, and means for varying the time of admission of fuel to said vaporizer to suit the conditions of operation of said engine. Y l

13. A heavy fuel carburetor for internal combustion' engines comprising a fuel vaporizer in communication with the inlet pasI sages thereof, electric heating means for said vaporizer, means operated by said engine for intermittently admitting fuel to said vaporizer, means for admitting air to said carburetor in advance of the admission of fuel to said vaporizer, means for varying the time of admission of fuel to said vaporizer tov suit the conditions of operation of said engine, and manually controlled means for varying the amounts of air and fuel admitted to said carbureter.

14. An attachment for internal combustion engines comprising a fuel vaporizer, a fuel pump and fuel control valve, and operating means for intermittently actuating` said fuel control valve in synchronism with the inletl and exhaust Valves of said engine, said operating means comprisingl a shaft having-a driving gear loosely mounted thereon and a crown gear fixed to said shaft and having fine teeth -adapted to be engaged with similar teeth on said driving gear,

of said usted 'to the inlet and exhaust Valves of said engine,.

said operating means com rising means whereby the angular relationship of Said driving gear and shaft may be adjusted to suit'the engine.

16. An attachment for internal combustion engines comprising a Waterj acketed fuel vaporizer and mixing tube having an air control valve, afuelpum and fuel control valve, operating means or intermittently actuating said fuel control valve in synchronism with the inlet and exhaust valves of said engine, and means for delaying the time of opening said fuel control valve when lessthan a full charge of fuel is admitted to said vaporizer, whereby a heavy fuel may be utilized without knocking in the cylinder of said engine.

17. A heavy fuel vaporizing andmixing attachment for internal combustion engines having means for heating the fuel and for varying the amount and time of admission thereof to correspond to the conditions of operation, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

ROBERT F. LONABERGER. CHARLES F., SANDS. 

